I
was in a state prison in Michigan and one of the things you have in prison
is a lot of time. I sit here thinking back on my life. I can see things
that caused a lot of emotional scars. Things that would cause me to
question if God really existed. My exposure to church and God was a very
fleeting one. I remember at one time my parents attended a church once in
awhile, but like many, they became disillusioned and quit going altogether.
I also remember going to church once in awhile with my grandparents who
lived next door to us. But as a young boy and on into my early adulthood, I
had no concept of who God was; I do now though.

When I
was real young, I had a newborn sister who only lived a few months. When
she died, it really traumatized me because I had no understanding of death.
Then later in my preteens and early teen years, two of the people I dearly
loved passed away -- my grandparents who lived next door. This also caused
confusion and additional emotional scars.

Even
though my parents were loving parents and I never did anything to get into
serious trouble, I still had an emptiness inside. Even though I had some
friends in high school, I still always felt like I didn�t fit in. I never
was able to really get involved in sports. I felt I wasn�t good enough. I
became shy around girls and somewhat withdrawn, afraid of rejection.

My
life was full of emptiness and fear. Even though I had a brother and
sisters that I was close to, I still had emptiness inside.

After
I graduated from high school, I moved out of state and moved in with my
oldest sister who had gone through a divorce. I held a few different jobs
by then, but started drinking and partying a lot, looking for some
happiness. I felt I was a good person. I didn�t get into trouble. My
drinking was confined to home or in the homes of people I knew. During this
time I met my first wife. We met at work and she invited me to a
party at her house. We started dating and then got married. We were two
people with like problems clinging to each other � wrong reasons I realize
now to enter into marriage.

Over
the next few years our lives became a constant struggle. We both had a lot
of insecurities, and my drinking continued. She became pregnant with our
first child shortly after we were married. Through fear of being drafted
and sent to Vietnam and fear of the new responsibilities my wife and
soon-to-be child, I enlisted in the Navy.

Even
though I thought it would help me, it just became a kind of escape from
reality and the emptiness that I had inside. In fact, it actually caused
even greater problems in our marriage. My drinking became heavier and I had
wandering eyes, always looking at other women. I didn�t think anything was
wrong. I wasn�t having any affairs, but later on in my life I learned that
the Bible teaches �that when we look at a woman with lust in our hearts we
have committed adultery already.�

My
thinking of other women also led to a lot of jealousy and even greater
insecurity in my wife, which then led to what I thought at the time was a
lot of nagging and accusations that I used as an excuse to continue drinking
and spending time away from home.

My
Navy career wasn�t anything very impressive. Three of our four children
were born during this time and even though they were bright spots in my
life, I really didn�t know how to love them and be there for them. It was
my wife, even though she had her own emotional problems, who somehow managed
to keep our family together and see that our children were taken care of.

I got
out of the Navy and thanks to my wife�s mother, we had a place to stay. I
found work and eventually we found a place of our own. Thanks to my wife we
managed to have a life. I poured myself into work and she took care of
managing our home. I still continued to drink, but not as heavy as I did in
the Navy. I managed to alienate my family from my wife by putting on a
front and blaming her for a lot of my problems. This caused even more
of a gulf between her and I.

Our
fourth child was born during that time. Then in 1984 my dad passed away
from a battle with cancer. I hadn�t seen him in over three years so this
caused even greater pain in my life. We began to argue about me going home
because we didn�t have any money. After Dad passed, my family made
arrangements for me to come to Michigan for the funeral. I left leaving my
wife and kids to fend for themselves.

I was
devasted from the loss of my dad. I really loved him, and had all kinds of guilt
because of not seeing him those three years. My family tried to console
me. I managed to make it through and started opening up a little bit.
Inside I was feeling every kind of emotion...fear, anger, resentment,
bitterness, aloneness, low self-esteem, questioning God, �Why?� I had built
walls around me and I was not letting anything get in. I was putting on a
false front. It was too painful otherwise.

I
stayed for about two weeks, then returned home, but things had changed. I
no longer even had room in my heart for my wife and kids. After fighting
with my wife one night, I left and moved into a motel.

I was
a total mess emotionally (and of course, spiritually). My wife would call
me at work and we would argue and then I would have a hard time working. I
was emotionally bankrupt.

During
this time I was hanging out at a bar and met a gal. We started sleeping
together -- two people just using each other to fill a void in our lives.
Finally one day I just totally broke down and the only thing I remember
about that day was calling my mom, pleading for help.

They
made arrangements for a member of my family to come and get me and take me to
Michigan. My mother began helping me to try to get some semblance of order
and stability back in my life.

Eventually, through my youngest sister, I met another woman who later became
my second wife. She is a good woman. She helped bring back some happiness
and desire to start living again. She attended a church once in awhile and
I started going with her. I still hadn�t surrendered to God, but a little
bit of light started shining in my life during that time.

I Pretty Much Turned My Back On My Wife
and Kids ... Sadly

There
was still a lot of turmoil going on in my life however. I had pretty much
turned my back on my other wife and kids, sadly. I moved in with my new
girlfriend and was faced with even more struggles. She became pregnant and
we were waiting for my divorce to become final so we could get married.

After
we married the struggles of having stepchildren now was adding to the
turmoil I had going on inside, but through them I started to understand a
little bit about loving others. The hardness in my heart started softening
a little. Some of the emptiness that I had been feeling started going
away. I still wasn�t living my life for God but I started understanding a
little bit, and started searching and asking questions about spiritual
matters.

Then
our little daughter was born. It was like God was giving me another chance
at a family and she became the light of my life.

Between 1986 and 1987 my world was turned upside down again. Something from
my past caught up with me and I went to prison for it. I became an
emotional wreck again.

At the
county jail in Lake County, Illinois - being engulfed by a bleak darkness in
my life - seeing no hope and totally giving up - I signed up for a church
service. I needed something to grab hold of to escape the dark world I
found myself in.

An
officer called us prisoners out for the service. There was a man there whose
name was Bruce, talking about the love of God and that no matter what we
have done, that God would forgive us. He shared that �God sent His son
Jesus to die for our sins.� Then like a silver thread of light from the
past, a scripture I had memorized as a little boy at one of the times I had
gone to church with my grandmother, came flooding back:

�For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosever believes in Him, will not perish, but will have eternal life.�
(John 3:16).

Like a
drowning person, I clung to that scripture like a life-ring tossed out into
the ocean. When Bruce gave the invitation to come forward to turn our lives
over to Jesus Christ if we wanted to, I went forward and he led me in what
is commonly known as the sinner�s prayer. I gave (committed) my life to
Jesus Christ.

It was
like a new day had dawned in my life. I felt a change inside of me. The
fear of what lay ahead of me left and a ray of light started shining into
the dark world that had been built around me through the years. Bruce
helped me get a pocket size New Testament Bible. He also gave me his
address so I could signup for Bible studies when I got to where I was going.

From That Moment On I Could Sense God's
Presence

From
that moment on I could sense God�s presence in my life. I started reading
the Bible and talking to others about what had happened to me. Even though
I didn�t know much about the Bible, God used me to lead my first person to
salvation in a two-man cell at Joliet Prison while waiting to be transferred
to the place I was to spend the rest of my prison time. His name was Tony.
He was involved in one of the big Latino gangs in Chicago. He was scared
and tired of everything that was going on in his life. We started talking
about the Bible and I told him I didn�t know much, but I shared with him
what had happened to me. We had managed to get ahold of a couple of Bibles.
I told him to start reading in the Book of John.

That
night, after I had done some devotional time, I went to sleep. The next
morning when I got up, I learned that Tony had stayed up most of the night and
had read the book of John all the way through to the end of the Book of
Romans. He told me he wanted to accept Jesus into his heart so I led him in
the sinner's prayer that was in my little pocket Bible.

That
really became the turning point in my life. God used that moment to put a
conviction in my heart to really start studying His word, so He could use me
more often to help others come to peace with God (the Father; when
the Bible refers to �God,� it oftentimes is referring to the person of the
Father, and at other times it is referring to all three persons of the
godhead) by being reconciled back to Him in good standing by the death of
Jesus Christ on the cross for their sins.

I
don�t know what happened to Tony. I was transferred a few days later to
Lincoln Correctional Facility. I do know one thing though. God was there
that day in a two-man cell at Joliet Prison, and that put a purpose inside
of me that I had never had before. From that day on � I knew that being used to
help win souls to our heavenly Father by turning one�s life over to the Lord
Jesus Christ is more important than any job � any career � any amount of
money a person can make � any heroic medals a person can earn - any
political position or political exploits a person can execute on behalf of
their country. The Bible said that as a child of God, I was now an
Ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). No other person on this planet is
given that title other than those who have committed their lives to
faithfully serving Jesus Christ. It is the most important responsibility
(or ministry) God has for any person to do on His behalf � and they will be
rewarded throughout eternity for how diligent they were in serving out that
Ambassadorship in accordance with God�s will for their life.

I
spent 21 months at Lincoln fervently seeking and serving God during this
time, studying God�s word and doing correspondence Bible studies. I talked
to the chaplain and was able to be water baptized. Also during this time
God also set me free from smoking. I haven�t had the desire to smoke since
that time.

My
wife stuck by my side during all this time, even though because of the great
distance I was from her, she was only able to visit me twice during the 21
months.

I was
paroled back to Michigan where I poured myself into serving God and my
family. I worked for a gas station chain and worked my way up to take over
a station in Hastings, Michigan. We started attending the Hastings Assembly
of God where I started pouring my life into the church and my new job.

We
struggled with places to live on what I was making and also I was starting
to struggle at church because my job was consuming all of my time. Finally
I was blessed with a job in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Through someone who
attended at the church, we were finally able to afford a better place to
live.

Even
though I was serving God, regrettably I hadn�t surrendered everything to
Him. This ultimately led to my wife leaving me, which really
devastated me again. I moved back to Muskegon and stayed with my
oldest sister and her husband. They had taken over our parent�s home
to help out my mother. God had a purpose for this because during that
time my oldest sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. I spent a year
there and was able to spend time with her. She went through treatment and was in remission. I then was blessed with an apartment only a couple of blocks from my work in Grand
Rapids. Consequently, I moved to Grand Rapids instead of driving back and forth
every day to work.

I Started A Journey That
Led To Heavy Drinking Again

I had
still attended church at different places once in awhile, but my commitment
to the Lord began wavering. As Jesus warns in Matthew 13:22 and Mark 4:19,
the cares of this world began to choke out my relationship with the Lord.
My preoccupation with the distractions the devil wanted me focused on began
to put out the fire I had to serve and obey God. Here I was divorced and
living all by myself. Loneliness began to overwhelm me. My faith in God
and in the promises in His Word diminished. In my weakness and lack of
understanding of the intensity that demonic powers fight to constantly try to
lead a person onto another path that leads away from
the living God, I started a journey that led to heavy drinking again.
Eventually � for all practical purposes, I turned my back on God again. I
didn�t stop believing He existed, but my desire stopped in developing a
daily, personal relationship with Him.

Part
of the catalyst the devil used for my backsliding had to do with my older
sister and her cancer. After being in remission for a while, the cancer
reappeared and spread into her lymph nodes. She finally grew weary of the
battle and gave up -- passing away. This caused great confusion and anger
and doubt in my faith about the goodness of God. (It took me years later to
realize that people who lose loved ones are sometimes the most vulnerable in
becoming angry and bitter at God � which Satan just absolutely delights in
seeing happen, because it gives him much greater latitude to feed lies to
the living �That God is not a �good� God at all � otherwise He would
not have allowed that person you loved so much to die � now would he?!� Satan will diligently seek to use every hurt and pain in our
life, many of which he directly is responsible for no less, to tempt us to
believe that God is not a �good God� � a �caring God� � a �listening God� �
a �merciful God� - a �loving God� � and if we bite on any of these
temptations (I�ve only named some of the most common) � it usually puts us
on paths that lead away from God, which then contributes to
shipwrecking our faith in one degree or another in God and the promises in
His Word for us.

It
has taken me many years and much pain to realize that just because we become
a born again Christian doesn�t mean life becomes all �bliss� after that. On
the contrary � becoming born again actively enlists us in what I like to
call a �spiritual
Vietnam conflict� and that joining some imaginary �Navy� will not help us keep
our joy. You may be saved now that you are a born again believer, I
discovered, but Satan is going to keep you as much of a �handicapped soldier
of God� that he can to make sure you are no threat to his influence on this
planet, and I�ve discovered God has given him a lot of say in the matter.
That is not to put fear on anyone � it is meant to exhort believers to learn
everything they can learn about Ephesians 6:10-18 (putting on the Armor of
God as needed).

In the
next few years I began wandering through life again with that feeling of
being totally alone. Drinking constantly and going to bars to try to pick
up women, but because of my emotional state and something inside of me, I
was kept from doing it. I never felt I belonged. I could be in a crowded
bar with people I knew and still feel totally alone. I would spend large
sums of money trying to buy and surround myself with people, yet still
something was missing in my life.

I
became restless with my job and my life. I started looking around for a
part-time job and answered an ad for Menards that was going to be opening a
short distance away. I was hired and started to put myself into both jobs.
Finally from the stress of working two jobs and trying to function on only
about four hours of sleep, I quit the real good job I had and went full time
at Menards, making half of what I was making before.

The
Bible teaches: �that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.�
(See: James 1:8 -- Being �double minded� essentially boils down to trying to
please and obey God [on the occasions we try to please and obey Him, which
can be rare for many] . . . by our own intellect and abilities rather
than diligently seeking to learn how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in
helping us in our relationship with God). The next few years I was up and
down in my relationship with Jesus Christ. There were times of drinking and
partying and then a drawing back into the Bible. During this time my mother
passed away and even though I grieved, I was able to handle it better than
when my sister passed. I also found out through one of my sisters that she
had turned her heart back to Jesus before stepping into eternity.

After
that, I started reflecting again on my life. I started making some changes.
I turned away from the bar scene and started to look at things differently.
Even though I wasn�t serving God in church, I still believed in Him and had
some knowledge of the scriptures. That is what kept me going and set me on
a path of coming back to Him, I can only assume.

As I
reflect back, I can see God�s hand has been on my life. He has shown me
that He has never left nor forsaken me, just as His Words says. I was
blessed with an opportunity to get back with my first wife. She moved to
Michigan with me and we got remarried.

Everything seemed okay at first, but some of the things I had not surrendered
completely to God � allowing Him to strip them out of my life - started
creeping up again. The consequences of giving into temptations again of my
sinful nature � again led me back to prison.

Now �
looking back on my life, I see that even though I have not been serving Him
the way I should, no matter what I have done, no matter what I have been
through, He has let me know in subtle ways He was always there waiting for me
to totally surrender . . . because He had a plan for my life that would
bring peace and joy that I would never be able to discover any other way.

In
reflection . . . you would see me as a person that once didn�t even know there was
a God, or even cared if He did exist, for the most part. A life full of
confusion, anger, hurt, bitterness, resentment, rebellion, unfaithfulness,
lack of trust, a lustful heart, a father who allowed his children to be at
the mercy of the world. A husband who committed adultery and blamed my wife
for a lot of my problems. Left his family to flounder and fend for
themselves. A man at times who would drown his sorrows with booze and
hanging out in bars. I could be in a crowd but still feel all alone and
unloved. A man who at times was really serving God and then would fall away
because I was trying to serve Him in my own strength and not relying on the
help and strength of the Holy Spirit. I have caused a lot of pain and
sorrow in my family. I have experienced a lot of pain and remorse for the
things I have done and the way I turned my back on God. But God is merciful
and loving and waiting for us to come to Him, or in my case, come back to
Him.

But
now comes the REST of the story

God in
His infinite mercy and wisdom - who knew me before I was ever born � He knew
what it was going to take in my life to draw me to Himself completely. He
has chosen this time in my life to reveal Himself to me. I find that I have
a peace inside, a peace I have never known before in my life. I have a love
that is very deep; that is so deep that when anybody says something critical
to me or about me, all I can think of is that person must really be hurting
and crying out for love. Instead of getting upset or angry, I just walk
away
and pray for them that God would touch their heart and life.

I know
what it feels like to be hurting and feel truly unloved, even when we are
surrounded by those who love us. I had built walls around me and would not
let that love get in, so I would always feel alone and unloved. But I
truly know that God�s love can break down those walls. The Bible teaches us
in John 8:31-32:

�If you abide in My Word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall
know the truth and the truth shall make you free.�

God�s Word was never meant to be argued over, or become angry and bitter
about. It is spiritual food, meant to be feasted on, among other reasons
God has given us His Word. God will feed your hungry and thirsty soul as
you abide in His Word � amazingly, even when you don�t fully understand it.
Good, healthy food is flat good, healthy food, no matter where it comes from
or how it is prepared.

Once I
really surrendered myself to this truth, then accepted the other truths in
God�s Word that, �all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, �and
then the blessed truth that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus,
who became sin for those who commit their lives to Him so they become
the righteousness of God in Him (see 2 Corinthians 5:21 for this incredible
swap God gave us, if you�ve never heard about it!) - who took away my
reproach and condemnation, even that feeling of aching loneliness � how it
pains me at times to think back at how I let Satan pull me away from God
during my times of pain instead running closer to God to be delivered
and healed of it.

The
Bible further promises in Romans 8, starting in verse 33: Who shall
bring a charge against God�s elect? (Those who have truly committed
their lives to Jesus Christ are �the elect� being spoken of here). Who
is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril , or sword?

Then
in verse 38-39 it again promises: For I am persuaded that neither death
nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor
things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When I
felt so unloved, God showed me how much He loved me by what He did at the
cross for me through Jesus. When these storms were raging in my life and
everything was in turmoil, He spoke into my life and brought peace. When I
was hurting, He let me see and feel how much He hurt for me. When I failed
at things, He showed me that He was unfailing and faithful so I could learn
to be faithful.

He has
become everything that was lacking in my life so that I could learn to live
the life that He really desires for me to have. His love has really come
alive in my life. The evidence of it is that I am able to love my family
and those around me so much easier no matter how they treat me or don�t show
love back, instead of becoming hurt and bitter at them for not treating me
the way I would hope they would treat me.

I know
that even if I am lacking in material things, I am truly rich in the things
He has given me: Joy, peace, love, patience, and a true desire to love
others and share all that He has given me. I truly know that He blesses us
in one sense so that we can be a blessing to others.

God
has given me a vision and desire to help others in and out of prison. I
know that as I surrender my will to Him, He will fulfill His desires in my
life in His own timing. Right now He continues to build me up and teach me
the things I need for Him to accomplish His will in my life, and I�m trying
my best to take advantage of this time in prison to learn and grow in the
knowledge of His ways and His Word so that I can help others realize that
while in prison, they actually can have fewer distractions than those on the
outside of prison, and that if they will make the best use of all their time
in prison to learn all they can from God�s Word and live out the principles
the Bible teaches in the difficult environment the prison setting is � God
will truly bless them for it, especially in eternity. Prison is perhaps the
greatest mission field in America, and although I appreciate every Christian
volunteer who comes into prison to help people grow spiritually, it is us
inside of prison who can build important relationships with other inmates
that is often needed before someone will commit their life to Christ.

When
we look in the Bible � anybody God decided to use, He took them through a
time of testing and refinement first so they would be able to
accomplish His will through their lives later on. Of course these times of
testing and refinement can hurt, but God gives us the strength and
determination to get through them. They make us a better and stronger
person. The bravest and most courageous soldiers in the military never get
a chance to prove themselves (because their strengths and weaknesses have
yet to be closely examined by their leaders) until they first go through
testing, training and refinement (pain!) and pass. The �army of God� is no
different. None of us truly know of our weaknesses until we are tested
sufficiently.

I
truly thank Him for His mercy and comfort He is giving me through this time
of �training.� He has truly been expanding my understanding and clarity of
mind as I draw closer to Him through prayer, study and meditation of His
Word, and fellowshipping with other Christian believers here inside of the prison.

I
have come to understand what it means in His Word in Matthew 6:33 where it
says:

�� But Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you.�

Our
pursuit of cooperating with the Holy Spirit in helping build the Kingdom of
God (which is helping others come to the Salvation knowledge of Jesus Christ
and then engage in the discipleship process of helping them grow in their
relationship with Jesus Christ and knowledge of the Word of God) in the
lives of other people is what it means to �seek first His Kingdom.�
Our cooperation with the Holy Spirit to walk in obedience to God by obeying
the full counsel of His Word � fulfills the mandate of �seeking His
righteousness.�

�These
things� that He promises will be added to us if we �seek first the
Kingdom and His righteousness � what has He given me that money couldn�t
possibly buy? Love, joy and peace � that words can hardly
adequately describe, for starters. Faith � that I can hear correctly
from the Holy Spirit and pray down spiritual strongholds that He assigns me
to pray against that hinder others from coming to God and growing in God.
Purpose � that I am privileged to work with the Army of God in
helping rescue lost souls from eternal damnation. Encouragement � to
others here inside prison who have walls of discouragement so thick and high
around them that the darkness inside their souls dims the brilliance of the
noonday sun and a blue-sky day. Hope � that I never knew existed.
Joy � that is not of this world. A smile � when so many have
so little to smile about in the dark world they live in inside these prison
walls.

And
you know what?! God has also has blessed me in some special ways that to
some, may seem simple and insignificant, but to an inmate . . . can mean a
lot. A bar of soap, a cup of coffee, or a sweet snack one in awhile. When
you seldom have those things, as they are hard to come by without money in
prison, you learn to treasure items like that � simple things that you never
think much about outside of prison.

I also
praise Him for giving me a bunk by a window to have fresh air at night and
sunlight during the day. Sometimes we can take the simple things God
blesses us with for granted. I can�t thank Him enough, or praise Him
enough! My cup runs over with His love, and I hope somehow � I can make
His cup run over as well, somehow, someway � if such a thing is
possible.

The
following is a way for me to try to sum up feelings I�ve known in the past, and
how I feel now:

Walls Come Tumbling Down

Lord
you said you loved me � but these walls confine me!

Lord
you said you would give me peace � but these walls confine me!

Lord
you said you would give me joy � but these walls confine me!

Lord,
have you not promised me so much love, so much peace, and so much joy?

Forgive me Lord, for now I truly know and understand!

With
all the Love you have given me � so much love from you Lord!

With
all the peace you have given me � so much peace from you Lord!

With
all the joy you have given me � so much joy from you Lord!

That
these walls that have confined me �

will confine me no more!

It is
my desire that by sharing part of my life with you, that you understand that
no matter where you are at � what you are going through or even what you
have done � God loves you. No � God doesn�t love the wrong (sin) you have
done, but He truly loves you. What is it that God loves truly the
most when He thinks of you? The unlimited potential that you have to
blossom, instead of slowly keep shriveling up and dying spiritually and
emotionally - to be a blessing to others - to be the recipient of untold
blessings that He will make certain will be heaped upon you � through all
eternity � such as unspeakable joy that words will not be able to adequately
express stored up in heaven for you.

Is
your world dark enough yet that you are ready to let God shine some of His
brilliance into it � a lot of brilliance, in fact? God had to let my world
grow very dark before I was ready to do things totally His way � not
my way.

Are
you aware � God is only a prayer away? Hope is only a prayer away? Deliverance from your emotional pain is only a prayer away? Transformation
into the full and precious spiritual being God created you to be is only a
prayer away? An asset to the Kingdom of God instead of just one more
hindrance is only a prayer away?

All He
wants is a surrendered and willing heart. If your way hasn�t given you
peace and joy in your dark world, what have you to lose by trying things
His way? He will help you rebuild your life. He is a merciful God
and a loving God. He delights in bringing healing and restoration to
broken lives. He has the power to take your mess and turn it into a
God-glorifying message of hope and encouragement for others that you can�t
right now possibly imagine. Hey � He�s the Creator of all things and
has unlimited power to do as He pleases.

Spiritual Food

I urge
you, if your life is in turmoil -- if you are really hurting -- pray and
open your heart to Him and He will help you. Trust Him for a Bible you can
understand and feast in it. God has given us an anchor that will
steady us in the most violent storms of life � the Holy Bible � the Word of
God. Don�t gullibly believe everything others tell you what the Bible says:
read it for yourself and diligently trust the Holy Spirit to given you
understanding of what it means so you can wisely apply it. It pays HUGE
dividends when you do!

Get
yourself into a loving, Bible believing, Bible teaching church (if you are
out of prison), and open your heart to God and be transparent and humble
with others. He will bring healing to your life just as he is doing in my
life.

As
quickly as you are able to grasp it � learn everything you can about
spiritual warfare issues. Once a person turns their life over to Jesus
Christ, demonic forces are going to be looking for every way possible to try
to trip you up so you don�t keep advancing in your maturity with God and
your usefulness in helping advance the Kingdom of God in the lives of other
people. One of the most common ways he does that is for you to get
offended by another Christian believer. Nothing hurts more than a
Christian who offends you. Satan is a master at getting immature Christians
to offend others to the point where you want to stop going to church altogether, or coming together with other Christians. It�s one of the most
affective means he has to hinder your growth and joy in the Lord. He has
many others � but this is near the top of his �terrorist tactics.�

Thank
you so much for taking the time to read what the Lord has done for me, and
how much He means to me. God bless you . . . and I mean that from the
depths of my heart.

Just
remember � God loves you, and so do I. God proved His love by dying on
the cross for you.

"And this gospel of
the kingdom [Jesus
died for sinners] shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
(Quote from Jesus Himself: Matthew 24:14).

Consider how many
children in "all the nations" have never heard YET what
Jesus accomplished for THEM at the cross? PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS
TO THE LITTLE CHILDREN!

To help us share the Best News
every person needs to hear on this planet, randomly click FOR JESUS on just three
(3) of the JESUS DID IT!
links below. It will take just a few moments of your time. Please - that�s
all you are asked to do. God will reward you!(Of
course, be highly encouraged to forward one of these video clips to those
who may have never heard what Jesus did for them on the cross ...
especially young people). Thank you so much!

For
anyone living in the continental U.S. who would like 50 FREE copies of
JESUS DID IT! to be made availableto others, simply email us requesting
them and provide us your mailing address.We�ll be glad to send them to you, as
long as ministry funds allow.

If this testimony has blessed you, would you
please take a few moments and share with us HOW it has blessed you?
Your feedback is very important. Please mention the author of this
testimony when you email your comments. Thank you so very, very much!
Email:
ptoffice@precious-testimonies.com

Dear Reader - are you at peace with God? If not, you
can be. Do you know what awaits you when you die? You can have
the assurance from God that heaven will be your home, if you would like
to be certain. Either Jesus Christ died for your sins, or He didn't (He
did!). Are you prepared to stand before God on the Judgment Day
and tell Him that you didn't need
the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross to have your sins forgiven and
get in right-standing with God? We plead with you ... please don't make
such a tragic mistake.

To get to know God; to be at
peace with God; to have your sins forgiven; to make certain heaven will
be your home for eternity; to make certain that you are in right-standing with
God right now ... please
click hereto help understand the
importance of being reconciled to God. What you do about being reconciled
to God will determine where you will spend eternity, precious one. Your
decision to be reconciled to God is the most important decision you'll ever make
in this life.

The staff and our
ministry supporters so greatly appreciate hearing how God is touching lives for
His glory through this outreach. If this ministry has blessed you in some
special way, would you please consider taking a brief moment and share your
blessing with us? Simply email us at:
ptoffice@precious-testimonies.com

We truly thank each of
you who allow us to publish your testimony, for those who faithfully pray (and
fast) for this outreach, for those of you who help support the ministry
financially, and for those of you who pass along these testimonies and other
ministry writings to others. Especially
to prisoners! The part the Holy
Spirit has you play is vital in helping win lost soulsand being
engaged in discipleship, and we can never thank you enough for the labor
of love and support you provide on behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Precious Testimonies

is supported financially by those God directs to sow into this ministry. We ask
each person reading this to please ask God on an on-going basis if He would have
you sow a financialgift to this
evangelistic outreach of His - trust that He will clearly communicate His will
to you in the matter - then simply be obedient. Please feel free to contact us
if you have any questions about the current financial needs of this outreach, or
any other questions you may have.

For convenience, you
can simply click on the securePay Pal donate button below if you want to
donate by credit card. Otherwise, you can send your precious gift to:

Precious Testimonies, P.O. Box 516, Jenison, MI 49429.

Precious
Testimonies

is a non-denominational
501-C-3 evangelistic ministry, and financial love offerings to this ministry are
tax-deductible for those who qualify. A financial summary can be viewed by
clicking on the following link:
Financial Summary.

Inquiries or comments are welcome at our E-mail address
by clicking on the envelope icon below.